Supreme Court
New Delhi: The Supreme Court strongly reprimanded Chhattisgarh officials for removing a woman sarpanch from office for delay in completing work and said they should set an example in promoting women empowerment in rural areas. Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuiyan termed this as colonial thinking and ordered his reinstatement. Apart from this, a fine of Rs 1 lakh was also imposed on the government for litigation and harassment.
The government should promote women empowerment in rural areas
The court highlighted that administrative authorities, being custodians of royal powers and appropriately vested, should set an example in promoting women’s empowerment and supporting women-led initiatives in rural and remote areas. The apex court said we must emphasize that as a nation striving to become an economic superpower, the frequent occurrence of such incidents is sad.
Sonam Lakra had challenged the High Court order
We reported that Sonam Lakra, 27, had challenged her removal by the authorities after being elected Sarpanch of Sajbahar Panchayat in the state’s Jashpur district in January 2020. The petition said that instead of adopting a regressive attitude that discourage women from holding elected office, they should promote an environment that encourages their participation and leadership in governance.
The court said prima facie investigation into the case revealed that the members of the Gram Panchayat, in connivance with the administrative officials, had made a deliberate attempt to obstruct their initiative. The high court allowed the state government to recover the cost from the guilty officials on the principles of natural justice. While setting aside the February 29 order of the High Court, the court said the High Court had wide discretion to consider the writ petition. Where the executive has clearly and brazenly abused its power to undermine democratic values.
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